will this fall apart on first ride?
Discussion
My girlfriend is getting more interested in bikes, and im embracing this as i love going out too. Currently she is borrowing a my mums raleigh which isnt great. We only do road, and canal paths etc. So as long as copes with this it'll be ok.
Ive always been a big believer of paying for decent quality, but on this occasion we arent wanting to spend loads.
This apollo caught my eye. Its half price at £180 and i can get a further 10% off with a promo code i have, and then another 10% off through my work by buting vouchers. And i have £55 worth already at home. So roughly £97 to me.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Or should i look at spending more on something like this
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...
or this if its not too big
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...
Cheers
Ive always been a big believer of paying for decent quality, but on this occasion we arent wanting to spend loads.
This apollo caught my eye. Its half price at £180 and i can get a further 10% off with a promo code i have, and then another 10% off through my work by buting vouchers. And i have £55 worth already at home. So roughly £97 to me.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Or should i look at spending more on something like this
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...
or this if its not too big
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b...
Cheers
whilst it wont fall apart its quite limiting in that its only really suitable for the riding you state, tow paths etc. if she gets the bug and wants to explore a bit more off road, the GT aggressor from Pauls cycles is a good bike and will be more capable off road. i guess you have to make the decision how likely it is she will want to do more.
also, it may not be an issue, but the GT will have far greater resale potential comapred to the Apollo which will bea hard to move on for anything more than pocket money.
also, it may not be an issue, but the GT will have far greater resale potential comapred to the Apollo which will bea hard to move on for anything more than pocket money.
Hi,
Im pretty sure she wouldnt get more involved than simply riding cycle paths etc. She lives in spain but comes here every 3 weeks for 1 week so it'd probably get used twice a month.
If she did ge the bug, and we sold it for pocket money , id somehow be kinda glad as that would mean we would be going out more and more on better trails.
Ive never owned a cheap bike, but im good with spanners so im not to concerned if it needs maintenience. But not wanting it to be a pile of rubbish.
If it did fall apart , im sure id have a case under fit for purpose etc
Im pretty sure she wouldnt get more involved than simply riding cycle paths etc. She lives in spain but comes here every 3 weeks for 1 week so it'd probably get used twice a month.
If she did ge the bug, and we sold it for pocket money , id somehow be kinda glad as that would mean we would be going out more and more on better trails.
Ive never owned a cheap bike, but im good with spanners so im not to concerned if it needs maintenience. But not wanting it to be a pile of rubbish.
If it did fall apart , im sure id have a case under fit for purpose etc
My wife had an Agressor 3 years ago and it was fine for pretty much everything from tow path to light trail usage. I'd go for one of the GTs if the use was to be anything more than tow path and fire road.
None of them will fall apart unless your wide starts doing jumps/drops but they will be heavy and the suspension won't give them the most comfortable ride
None of them will fall apart unless your wide starts doing jumps/drops but they will be heavy and the suspension won't give them the most comfortable ride
Bought my wife the GT from Paul's last year. I have to admit we bought it towards the end of the summer so it didn't get a huge amount of use but she loves it.
We did quite a few short-ish tarmac rides around places like Windsor Great Park, a few fireroad rides around Swinley Forest and she did 7 laps of Goodwood for the BHF at the end of the summer without any complaints! Gearing seems adequate for the sort of riding she does, bike is quite light and all of the components 'just work'.
The buying experience from Paul's was also very good, iirc we ordered it Saturday evening and it arrived Tuesday morning, well packed and only needed pedals turning around, seat adjusting and handlebars tightening up - otherwise everything was in place and working.
We did quite a few short-ish tarmac rides around places like Windsor Great Park, a few fireroad rides around Swinley Forest and she did 7 laps of Goodwood for the BHF at the end of the summer without any complaints! Gearing seems adequate for the sort of riding she does, bike is quite light and all of the components 'just work'.
The buying experience from Paul's was also very good, iirc we ordered it Saturday evening and it arrived Tuesday morning, well packed and only needed pedals turning around, seat adjusting and handlebars tightening up - otherwise everything was in place and working.
Don't be sucked in by the price cut on the Halfords bike. Their Apollo bikes always seem to be half price, and really aren't worth any more than that.
Before you buy, make sure you pick one up. Most Apollo bikes, it would appear, have lead-filled frames, as there's no other conceivable reason for them to be as heavy as they are.
If you want to buy from Halfords for discounts and the like, look at the Carrera Subway. Currently £199, and much better spec everywhere than the Apollo, primarily because it doesn't have rubbish suspension forks taking up a chunk of the budget.
Before you buy, make sure you pick one up. Most Apollo bikes, it would appear, have lead-filled frames, as there's no other conceivable reason for them to be as heavy as they are.
If you want to buy from Halfords for discounts and the like, look at the Carrera Subway. Currently £199, and much better spec everywhere than the Apollo, primarily because it doesn't have rubbish suspension forks taking up a chunk of the budget.
FWIW we replaced a 2 year old Apollo with the blue GT. The Apollo weighed a ton and the other half was very reluctant to ride it but will happily jump on the GT for an afternoon spin with the kids.
From first hand experience I would steer well clear of the Apollo stuff, plus all of the components on the one we had were from the whothefukarewe factory in Korea!
IIRC we bought it for £140-ish and sold it to next door for £25, she keeps it at her stables to ride between stable blocks and from one field to another, probably all its fit for!
From first hand experience I would steer well clear of the Apollo stuff, plus all of the components on the one we had were from the whothefukarewe factory in Korea!
IIRC we bought it for £140-ish and sold it to next door for £25, she keeps it at her stables to ride between stable blocks and from one field to another, probably all its fit for!
I've just bought the carrera valour from halfords for my OH which is probably the same one you saw for £270. I've been looking for an entry level mtb for her for a while and the valour is as good as any of the offerings from the major bike brands and a fair bit cheaper.
Really nice looking frame (most important aspect), components obviously aren't the best (entry level shimano, suntour forks) but they work and it doesn't weigh a ton. Just don't expect to go blatting down any downhill courses and it'll be fine.
Really nice looking frame (most important aspect), components obviously aren't the best (entry level shimano, suntour forks) but they work and it doesn't weigh a ton. Just don't expect to go blatting down any downhill courses and it'll be fine.
Edited by mdavids on Friday 11th May 17:43
mdavids said:
I've just bought the carrera valour from halfords for my OH which is probably the same one you saw for £270. I've been looking for an entry level mtb for her for a while and the valour is as good as any of the offerings from the major bike brands and a fair bit cheaper.
Really nice looking frame (most important aspect), components obviously aren't the best (entry level shimano, suntour forks) but they work and it doesn't weigh a ton. Just don't expect to go blatting down any downhill courses and it'll be fine.
We've just got back from our second halfords trip in 2 days and this is the one she likes. It fits her really well, and most importantly she likes the colour too. The components look ok too for the price. At 270, I could get it for £225 so cheaper than its rivals too. Plus I already have £55 worth of vouchers too. Really nice looking frame (most important aspect), components obviously aren't the best (entry level shimano, suntour forks) but they work and it doesn't weigh a ton. Just don't expect to go blatting down any downhill courses and it'll be fine.
Edited by mdavids on Friday 11th May 17:43
We also tried a carrera subway but she doesn't Iike the low front end, and they seem quite heavy too.
I've been looking at the boardman hybrids for me too. At £500 the comp looks brilliant. Ive fancied a road bike for a while, but unsure if I'll get along with it. Plus I'm not a fan of Lycra. Maybe a hybrid is the next step for me.
Bit of a update.
managed to get a saracen mantra 1 for her to use for a bit to see if she got the bug. Its not ideal as its more of a jump bike and quite big for her but she has now confessed that she really enjoys going out. So ive sold the mantra (being collected tomoorrow) without her knowing and plan a suprise xmas present of a new bike.
Best spec for money seems to be a carrera vengeance ladies for £280 - 10% i can get off too. So £252 in total.
Seems a good bike , and has sram kit too which i prefer.
managed to get a saracen mantra 1 for her to use for a bit to see if she got the bug. Its not ideal as its more of a jump bike and quite big for her but she has now confessed that she really enjoys going out. So ive sold the mantra (being collected tomoorrow) without her knowing and plan a suprise xmas present of a new bike.
Best spec for money seems to be a carrera vengeance ladies for £280 - 10% i can get off too. So £252 in total.
Seems a good bike , and has sram kit too which i prefer.
d8mok said:
Reserved a vengeance online at £300. Got the £20 discount twice (no idea why) then got 10% off and then got another £20 off as they had built it and i wanted it boxed.
So cost £214 in total. Seems a bargain to me and believe it or not it seems quite well set up too.
Had a Vengeance for a year, ive commuted, pootled down canal paths and taken it around mountain biking trails. Hasn't missed a beat.So cost £214 in total. Seems a bargain to me and believe it or not it seems quite well set up too.
I took the bikes up to Dalby Forest last weekend with louise and the children. It was getting late so we only did 45 mins up and down a fire road and grass track with Louise using one of the hire Treks.
She actually really enjoyed it, apart from the "razor like" saddle, so it might be an opportunity to get her a starter bike.
I quite like this one. The Vengence looks good but the colour is a bit boring and she liked the lime green Trek!
Never having used disc brakes, is it worth the extra £50? I\m sure it will be a resounding yes, Are they easy to maintain?
She actually really enjoyed it, apart from the "razor like" saddle, so it might be an opportunity to get her a starter bike.
I quite like this one. The Vengence looks good but the colour is a bit boring and she liked the lime green Trek!
Never having used disc brakes, is it worth the extra £50? I\m sure it will be a resounding yes, Are they easy to maintain?
I had the non-womens version of this in medium. It weighed the same as a small tank so it's a good thing that the brakes were decent. I haad no issues with them over the 12 months I owned it and it got used well by me, however when I sold it the forks were a lot less plush than when I bought it.
ETA- 1)that picture shows cable operated discs.
2)I did give it a hammering and still sold it on eBay for £250, and I only put it up 45mins earlier!!
ETA- 1)that picture shows cable operated discs.
2)I did give it a hammering and still sold it on eBay for £250, and I only put it up 45mins earlier!!
Edited by Gumstabber on Wednesday 5th December 14:26
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